The petroleum industry has invested heavily in the development of marine seismic survey techniques that yield knowledge of subterranean formations beneath a body of water in order to find and extract valuable mineral resources, such as oil. High-resolution seismic images of a subterranean formation are helpful for quantitative seismic interpretation and improved reservoir monitoring. For a typical marine seismic survey, one or more marine seismic survey vessels tow one or more seismic sources below the surface of the water and over a subterranean formation to be surveyed for mineral deposits. Seismic receivers may be located on or near the water bottom, such as being fixed on the water bottom or anchored so as to be near the water bottom, on one or more streamers towed by the source vessel, or on one or more streamers towed by one or more other vessels. One or more of the vessels may contain marine seismic survey equipment, such as navigation control, seismic source control, seismic receiver control, and recording equipment. The seismic source control may cause the one or more seismic sources, which are typically air guns or marine vibrators, to actuate and produce acoustic signals at selected times (often referred to as “firing a shot” or “shooting”).
Each acoustic signal is essentially a sound wave that travels down through the water and into the subterranean formation. At each interface between different types of rock or other formations of differing composition, a portion of the sound wave may be refracted, a portion of the sound wave may be transmitted, and another portion may be reflected back toward the body of water to propagate toward the surface. The streamers towed behind the vessel are generally elongated cable-like structures. Each streamer includes a number of seismic receivers that detect pressure and/or particle motion changes in the water created by the sound waves reflected back into the water from the subterranean formations. The seismic receivers thereby measure a wavefield that was ultimately initiated by actuation of the seismic source.